Forget Ali, I’m the best, Mayweather now declares

What you need to know:

  • “I feel like I have done just as much in the sport as Ali,” Mayweather said. “It is hard for a guy to be like me, still sharp at 38. No disrespect to Ali, but I feel like I am the best.”
  • Pacquiao, a hero and celebrity in the Philippines, worked on the streets before his success in the ring helped launch careers in politics, music and film. Mayweather said he has a solid game plan for this fight and had made sure not to go overboard.

Los Angeles
Never one to talk himself down, Floyd Mayweather has declared that he isn’t just good, he’s better than Muhammad Ali, the man many call “The Greatest.”

With just over a week to go before his super fight in Las Vegas against Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather said his career and flawless record — he has never been beaten — speak for itself.

“I feel like I have done just as much in the sport as Ali,” Mayweather said. “It is hard for a guy to be like me, still sharp at 38. No disrespect to Ali, but I feel like I am the best.”

Mayweather pointed out that while Ali lost to the unheralded Leon Spinks in 1978, among others, he has a perfect 47-0 record. “Ali lost in his career to Leon Spinks. He lost some other fights and is still known as the greatest.

That is what it is.” Mayweather spoke to reporters Wednesday in a teleconference call for his May 2 welterweight showdown with Filipino superstar Pacquiao which is expected to generate a record $400 million in revenue.

In addition to being the greatest, Mayweather added that even boxing fans from Pacquiao’s home country — where Pacquiao is an icon — will be cheering him on at the MGM Grand. “I am pretty sure I got Filipino fans that like me,” said the American boxer, who is arguably the current number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

WORKED ON THE STREETS

Pacquiao, a hero and celebrity in the Philippines, worked on the streets before his success in the ring helped launch careers in politics, music and film. Mayweather said he has a solid game plan for this fight and had made sure not to go overboard.

“I have trained extremely hard. You don’t want to overtrain. You want to train so you are completely ready,” he said.

Meanwhile, tickets for the fight, the richest in boxing history, was set to go on sale yesterday after the two camps put their squabbles aside and finally reached a deal. The release of tickets will come just nine days before the May 2 fight after being held up for weeks because of a contract dispute between Pacquiao’s camp, Mayweather Promotions and the MGM Grand Hotel.

Wednesday’s announcement paves the way for a very limited number of seats to go on sale in the Grand Garden Arena. Organizers declined to say how many seats would be offered for sale.

Organizers said Grand Garden tickets will be priced between $1,500 and $7,500 and closed circuit seats at Las Vegas area venues are priced at $150.

But very few tickets are expected to be available to the public, as the majority of seats in the Grand Garden arena are being reserved for sponsors, organizers and friends and family of the two camps. Tickets are supposed to go to Pacquiao and Mayweather’s camps, HBO, MGM Grand and Showtime for distribution.

The ticket fiasco is just that latest issue of contention in the build up to the fight which is expected to generate a record Sh 37.2 billion ($400 million in revenue). (AFP)